Chris Martin of Thomas & Betts Power Solutions

The presentation will include an overview of how surge protection works, what generates surges, what kind of damage they can cause, and why surge protection has become an important design consideration. It will also include a comprehensive review of the Safety standards UL1449 3rd Edition and UL96A (Lighting Protection Systems) and their impact to the SPD industry, as well as upcoming NEMA recommendations regarding SPD applications and the National Electric Code’s, section 708 COPS (Critical Operations Power Systems). Finally, a background into why the NEMA LS1 SPD performance document for SPDs was rescinded and the impact to how SPDs are marketed is presented.

Biography: Chris is the Surge Protection Sales Manager for Thomas & Betts Power Solutions in Richmond, VA who manufacture the top two leading brands for the surge protection industry, Current Technology and Joslyn. Prior to his current role at Thomas & Betts Power Solutions, Chris was the Product Manager for SPDs, the production engineer for SPD and data center power infrastructure including digital static transfer switches and power distribution units.
Other career highlights include: 5 years as product engineer/program manager for Viasystems Inc managing key accounts for Lucent Technologies, Alcatel, General Dynamics, Ericsson, and Marconi; 3 years as site engineer for AT&T’s special projects division in Keflavik, Iceland and 1 year as lead engineer at the Naval Undersea Surveillance Command Center Norfolk, Virginia

Chris received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute and has provided training and leadership for the following continuous improvement programs; Standard Work, Variance Reduction, Value Stream Mapping, and Value Selling.

Chris Martin of Thomas & Betts Power Solutions

Biography: